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Rejection And Criticism: It's Not personal, It's Just Business

Posted by
Jo Linsdell
at
7:30 AM

For every author on the planet, whether they have sold
millions world-wide, or are in the process of sending out query letters to
literary agents, rejection and criticism are the price of the ticket into the
arena. So how do we prevent the rejection and criticism from killing our
creative spirit, chasing us back into our writing cave, and dampening our
willingness to put our precious baby out there in the cruel world? This fear is
one of the reasons it took me decades to get up the nerve to subject my work to
public scrutiny, and even the richest and most successful
authors in the world are not immune to the sting of the critic’s needle.

The key is an attitude shift, and I know it is easier said
than done, but the attitude shift can be accomplished. Realize that EVERY
author on the planet has been rejected, read the stories of the struggles to
get published and then the scathing response of critics to some of the most
celebrated works and authors in human history, and then wear rejection and
criticism as a badge of honor. It means that you are part of a very exclusive
club that has as its members the winners of every literary prize in history.

Expect and embrace rejection and criticism. Even if your
work is groundbreaking (and in some cases because it is), it will be rejected
and criticized by many. Don’t take it personally, it’s part of the writer’s
life.

Learn from your rejections and the criticism. Take a step
back, and look at your work from the critic’s point of view. Not all criticism
is valid, but if there is a common denominator in the feedback you are getting,
the validity quotient skyrockets. Criticism can be one of the most important
tools to improve your writing.

Know your critics, and know that most agents and reviewers
are looking for and partial to a very specific type of writing in a very
specific genre. Even if your work fits that profile, not every work speaks to
every critic. To paraphrase Michael
Corleone, “this is the life that we have chosen.”

After a career working in an international consulting firm and as a financial executive with two public companies, Dennis D. Wilson returns to the roots he established as a high school literature and writing teacher at the beginning of his career. For his debut novel, he draws upon his experiences from his hometown of Chicago, his years living, working, hiking and climbing in Jackson Hole, and secrets gleaned from time spent in corporate boardrooms to craft a political crime thriller straight from today's headlines. Dennis lives in suburban Chicago with his wife Paula and Black Lab Jenny, but spends as much time as he can looking for adventure in the mountains and riding his motorcycle.